Well, it’s quite obvious that Aldo loves his profession and it’s without difficulty seen in his products. The letters AQG are also the name of Aldo’s custom motorcycle shop, which is located in northern Italy and where he runs a one-man operation. His custom bike building business has been in operation since March of 2003 and since its inception, he has produced approximately 25 custom bobber motorcycles. Many of his bobbers have taken top honors or placed within the top three in many European bike shows, including the Paris Kustom show, the CCI European show, European Bike Week, the Zodiac show, the Dutch Motorsales show, and several other shows in Italy and other European countries. “I enjoy bike shows, but winning is not the most important thing because I know that the judges are not always fair. What I enjoy most about the shows is meeting the people and getting the thrills when they stop and just stare at my bikes for a long time and take countless photos,” said Aldo. “This automatically tells me that I have the best bikes at the show, regardless of what the judges say.” Many builders and European motorcycle industry personnel refer to Aldo as the “European Bobber Master.”
Bobbers are very popular in Italy and in many other parts of Europe. Once the final bolt is tightened, there can be much more to do before the bike is allowed on the road. Italy, like most of Europe and unlike many states in America, has some pretty tough inspection standards. The positive side of these rigorous inspections ensures that custom bikes don’t just look good, but are also safe and mechanically sound. “None of my bikes ever have any problems passing the inspections because all of them are built to ride,” said Aldo.
The same standards apply to his new bobber, Magic, and there are several appealing customizing features on the machine. The paint schematics and the layout are obviously a couple of them. Personally, I’ve never been a fan of anything that has the slightest resemblance of the color of green, except that paper stuff you fold and put in your wallet, but the race green color on Magic somehow transmits a calming effect. It’s easy to look at, and the gold and silver leaf design on the green makes a nice combination. The frame is painted race green, including the Harley-Davidson springer front end. “When the owner of the bike called and asked what color is his new bobber, I said, ‘Kawasaki race green,’ and we both had a good laugh for about 30 minutes,” said Aldo.
The lettering on the bike is very detailed: the right side of the gas tank has the bike’s name and on the left is AQG. On the oval shaped oil tank are the names Brett G. Smith – Aldo Querio G. and the statement, “Kings of quarter’s mile.” Brett G. Smith is the grandson of S&S founder, George J. Smith, and is the current president of the company. The number “72” painted on the other side of the oil tank is the race number that was worn by one of Aldo’s close friends.
Aldo used an S&S 96” engine, and like the graphics on the rear fender says, “Go fast or go home.” A couple of years ago, I was riding my ’98 Ultra Classic on an Austrian autobahn and I pulled up beside a custom bike rider who was running an S&S engine. I pulled my clutch in and gunned it a little, offering him a challenge. When he cranked down on his throttle and disappeared within a few seconds, I quickly learned to never challenge another bike running an S&S engine again.
The overall design and construction of Magic clearly shows a custom bike builder’s pure architectural skills, and that he hand-made many of the parts. For example, the shape and design of the handlebars enhances the style of the bike and the flat top, under-the-frame mounting position of the gas tank gives it an even lower profile appearance.
The Magic bobber is another one of Aldo’s rare and special custom motorcycle creations. In Europe it has become quite common to expect these customized machines from the European Master Bobber builder. For more information on this custom and other bikes from AQG, log on to www.aqg.it.
This bike feature originally appeared in Barnett’s Magazine issue #52, Nov-Dec 2006.
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